Surrendering Series Box Set

I’m so proud of you and so honored to know you. One of the first things I want to do when I get back, even before I have a real shower and shave, is watch the video. It won’t be the same as being there with you, but it’s the next best thing.

Hey, what do you think about calling all the models in and doing a reenactment? Or maybe you could model for me . . .

I rolled my eyes at that last part. He was flirting with me via letter, and I loved it. He would never change, that man. And I really hoped he didn’t. I loved the way he was.

Two weeks left until he came home. Two more weeks until I could hear his voice. With the fashion show over, I didn’t have this huge event consuming my time. Sure, I still had tons to do at work, but I had more free hours in my day. I tried to fill them with sketching and working on the bridesmaids’ dress designs and three of the potential wedding gown designs for Rory. I’d had my mind made up ages ago on one dress, but I wasn’t sure now, so I did some others. She’d sort of put her wedding planning on hold while Ryder was gone, but I was still going to get working on her dress.

“So, what do you think?” I said, laying the three sketches out in front of Rory with little fabric swatches to show her the color and feel.

“Can I have all of them?” she asked, brushing her fingers across the sketches.

“Yes,” I said. I’d already planned to make her a separate dress for the ceremony and reception.

“No, that’s silly. I only need one dress,” she said.

“Two. One for the ceremony, one for reception. You have the big dramatic one for the ceremony and then something more fun and easy to dance in.” I was only showing her three designs, but I had plenty more. I’d made dozens.

“Really?” she said.

“Yeah, people do it all the time. It’s a thing now.”

She didn’t look like she believed me, but it was definitely a trend in weddings.

“Well, if it wouldn’t look too extravagant. I want the wedding to be nice, but I don’t want it to be too stuffy and formal.” It was bound to be a little formal if her mother had anything to say about it.

“Do you have an idea of the venue yet?”

She got a smile on her face. “Well, I was thinking, you know how my parents have that big beautiful yard? We could put up a tent and do the reception there. I don’t know about the ceremony yet. Lucah really wants to do it in a church, but I’m not so on board with that. I think I want to be outside. Either on the beach or in a garden or something. But then you have to think about rain, so there’s that. I don’t know.” Sounded like she needed to actually visit some places.

“Listen. Go online with Lucah, find a few places that you might like, and go see them in person. You won’t know what you want until you stand there with him and picture the whole thing,” I said. Like I was some sort of wedding guru.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. We still need to set a date. It’s just a lot to think about.” It was, but she had time, if she was going for a date say, next summer.

“You could always elope,” I said. She gave me a horrified look as if I’d suggested she get married in the aisle of a department store.

“Do you think my parents would let me do that?” she asked. “Do you think that my mother, my mother, would let me get married without her there to oversee and criticize every single detail? And don’t even get me started on Dad not getting to walk me down the aisle.”

It was true. Her parents would probably murder her and Lucah for doing that.

“Okay, so which dress for the ceremony, do you think?” I ask, pointing to the sketches.

Rory studied the three sketches again.

“Yes,” she said, handing them back to me with a smile.

“Three dresses it is.”

~*~*~

I got through the last fourteen days before Ryder got back by reading his letters. They got longer the more days he was in the program. I could also tell that he’d written different parts of the letter at different times throughout the day. I liked that he was thinking of me all day because I was certainly thinking of him.

My own letters to him had gotten longer as well, and I sometimes found myself thinking of things to add during the day when I was at work. I’d jot something down on a scrap of paper then paperclip it to the letter at night. Sometimes I didn’t have paper, so I used whatever was handy, including gum wrappers, receipts, and napkins.

I moved everything to a bigger box, and I couldn’t wait to hand my letters to Ryder.

“So, I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to pick him up?” Lucah asked two days before Ryder was due to come home. I hadn’t mentioned wanting to go, but I really, really wanted to.

“Yes,” I said immediately and a little too enthusiastically. “I mean, if you think that would be okay.”